


Collegevania

by TheTurtleFromHell



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, implied sexual assault but not really in chapter 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24954007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleFromHell/pseuds/TheTurtleFromHell
Summary: An ill dog, a fractured father/son relationship, and a broken skateboard.Here lies three stories about three couples at an art college.
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Trevor Belmont, Hector/Isaac Laforeze, Sypha Belnades/Julia Laforeze
Kudos: 26





	1. An Unexpected Guest

Isaac collapsed onto the couch, content to just lay there the entire day after a particularly long day spent practicing a routine.

However, there were dinners to be cooked, and he knew better than to leave it to Hector and his habit of getting sidetracked. He groaned as he sat back off, pulling off his socks and shoes, unphased as a toenail fell and landed on the floor.

“Shit…” he breathed, picking it up and tossing it in the trash. He opened up the drawer where the first aid kit was usually kept, only to find it empty.

“Hector, where’s the bandaids?” he shouted.

“Oh, I moved them to the cabinet above the microwave,” he called from the other room, “Why? You need them?”

“Another toenail fell off.” he replied as he retrieved the first aid kit. 

He heard Hector gasp excitedly, “Oh, let me see!”

Isaac rolled his eyes, but placed the kit down and waited patiently on the couch as Hector finished up whatever he was doing.

“It’s amazing how you can keep dancing when your feet are literally falling apart.” he says as he walks in. In his arms in a black pug with a cone, its left eye looking rather messed up and a splint over its left arm.

Isaac sighed, “We spoke about this.”

“I know, I know, but here me out.” he said, holding a hand up in defense, “He was in a car accident and needed overnight care, and none of the fosters wanted to take him-”

“If our landlord finds out, we’ll be the ones without a place to stay.” he argued, “You already used the ‘I’m watching it for family’ excuse with that litter of kittens you brought in.”

Hector worried his bottom lip, “I know…”

“But you couldn’t help yourself?” he finished for him, sighing with a half-smile, “I don’t mind. Just remember if we get caught, I’m putting the blame entirely on you.”

“Meanie.” he pouted, placing the pug on the floor so that it could prance around clumsily. With that matter settled, Hector sat on the opposite end of the couch as Isaac placed his foot in his lap, humming as he looked at it, “It’s already clotted.” he notes, “But some antibiotic cream and a bandaid never hurts.”

“You enjoy nursing me way too much.” Isaac comments as he scrolls through his phone like this is completely normal (which to be fair, it was for them).

“I swear, ballerinas are masochists,” Hector chuckled to himself as he finished applying the bandaid, before pausing in thought, “... is ballerina a gender neutral term?”

“Depends.” Isaac shrugs, “Ballerina is the Italian term for a female ballet dancer, so Ballerino is the male equivalent. Though if you ask the French, it's danseur for a male and danseuse for the female. Personally, I could care less what I’m called.” he watched as the pug bounced up to him, yipping and wagging its curled tail excitedly, “Speaking of which, what is your new friend called?”

“He hasn’t got an official one yet, but he seems to like Cezar.” he smiles, patting the dog’s head.

As if on cue, the dog ran over to Hector at the mention of his name. He laughed and pet his head, “You like that name, don’t you boy? Hm? Don’t you, don’t you!”

Isaac watches the ridiculous baby talk for a moment, smiling, “Anyways, what do you feel for dinner?”

“Fried rice.” Hector replied without hesitation. 

Isaac nodded, standing and walking to the kitchen. He remembered the first day he arrived at the apartment.

He had emailed back and forth with the mysterious roommate, learned that he was attending the college across from him with the goal of becoming a veterinary technician and had chosen the apartment because of the bus stop located in front of it. In fact, he had joked that the reason was because he would get to spend more time in the kennels with the animals, though it was hard to tell over text messaging whether he was joking or not. It was even more difficult considering the man obviously didn’t text a lot, as his texting was horrendous. 

Isaac didn’t care if his roommate disliked his company, as long as he paid half the rent it was fine. After all he had routines to learn and practice and companies to audition for.

Still, he did wonder about what he was like, up until the day where he unlocked the door with his key and stepped inside a living room with fast food containers on every surface and a man on the couch sleeping with an open textbook on his face. To his credit, Hector apologized profusely for the mess, explaining that he had exams the next day and had thrown himself into his studies so hard he forgot about his new roommate.

He wasn’t sure when, but somewhere along the line they had grown closer. Turns out they had a fair amount of things in common, like a dislike for those trashy shows that dares to call themselves ‘history documentaries’ and a love for local theatre. Conversations came easier with time. Isaac learned to tolerate Hector’s rambles about the veterinary industry, as Hector tolerated Isaac’s late nights spent practicing and choreographing routines. Then tolerance turned to genuine interest and conversation, and then they became boyfriends. It had been so gradual, the two didn’t even know what would be considered their anniversary date (his sister often teased him about how ridiculous that was for a couple). 

Isaac plated their rice, remembering to be careful not to put any mushrooms into Hector’s share. He brings it back into the living room, where Hector was only the floor playing tug of war with Cezar, the near-death experience apparently taking none of the life out of the spry young pug.

“Food.” he tells Hector as he sits and starts to eat. 

“Alright, no more play.” Hector says to the pup as he goes to stand. Cezar whimpers and paws at him.

“No more.” he repeats firmly as he sits and takes his plate. Cezar huffs, walking over and curling up on top of his feet. As they ate, Isaac couldn’t help but feel all was right with the world.

* * *

Dancing was as freeing as it was demanding to Isaac. While he did smile and keep a handsome face despite all the pain and exhaustion that came with performing, he was truly dancing for himself rather than the audience. He once told Hector that when he danced it was only him and the music, and every troublesome thought or problem he had just seemed to disappear for the time being, keeping him grounded and allowing him to take flight all at the same time.

“Why do they always choose me to do the walkovers for the routine?” he asked his sister as they iced their feet after a long day of rehearsal.

“Because you’re the only one who can do it.” she said as she took one foot out and rubbed it.

Isaac scoffed, “If everyone else just practiced and applied themselves, they could do it to. It’s not special.”

“Fair point.” she hums, “But not everyone is willing to stay in the studio until three in the morning for a month straight.”

“That just means there will be less competition when it comes time to apply to dance companies.” he says. They share a laugh, before Julia gets up and dries her feet with a towel, “Welp, I’m heading out.”

“Already?” he asks.

“Yeah, my girlfriend has a date night planned. Won’t tell me where we’re going, but it’s a date nonetheless.” she replies, “And this isn’t an opportunity for you to talk about how you hate surprises.”

“But I do hate them.” he smirks, laughing as she throws the towel on his face.

“Shut up before I dump the rest of the foot water on your head,” she sticks her tongue out, “Text you later.” she says as she grabs her bag and heads out.

“Have a good time.” he called after her, sighing and letting his head fall back. He sat there for a few more moments, enjoying the silent emptiness of the studio and its calm until the cold began to climb up his ankles. He got out and dried his feet, dumped the bucket into the sink and rinsed it out before grabbing his bag to get his shoes. While he was grabbing them, he noticed the light of his phone with a message across the screen.

_ You have (1) message from Hector<3 _

He was confused, because Hector wasn’t a fan of texting. He tapped the message.

_Hector <3_ _3:02pm_

_ Cezar hada seeizure. At vet. _

Isaac felt his stomach drop.

_You_ _3:46pm_ _   
_ _ Which vet? _

_Hector <3_ _3:46pm_

_ Theone on 4h street betweeen jones an killmonger. _

_You_ _3:47pm_

_ On my way. _

With that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and sprinted out the door to his car, not even bothering to put on his shoes.

* * *

A couple sat with their new kitten. A schnauzer barked relentlessly. Fish swam about in the waiting room aquarium.

He waited silently, staring at the home screen on his phone to avoid the chatty old man next to him. The receptionist had kindly told him Hector was back with the vet, and promised he’d be out soon. Every minute felt like five minutes, and every five minutes felt like an hour.

The door to the back opened, the sound causing Isaac to whip his head around. Hector stood there silently, head down. The front of his hoodie had a large wet spot of what smelled like dog urine. Nonetheless, he approached him, “How is he?”

Hector looked up with an obviously forced smile, blinking back tears, “They gave him some Diazepam, and they’re doing some x-rays now to make sure he doesn’t have brain damage.” he sniffled pathetically, “They don’t know if it’s from the car accident, I mean, it probably is, but they need to know how bad it is. It’s gonna be awhile before they get the results and, oh my God he’s gonna die Isaac and it’s all my fault! It’s all my fault I’m a horriblepersonmypoorbabyisgoingtodieandIdon’tknowwhattodo!”

Isaac quickly pulled his boyfriend into a tight hug as they walked out of the clinic, glaring at any one who gave a judgy look as they went across the parking lot.

On the way home, Isaac pulled over into a fast food joint (despite his hatred of them) and ordered a single ice cream cone. In Between bites of the frozen treat, a distraught Hector explained the sequence of events.

“He was in the bedroom while I was watching TV,” he said, seemingly unaware of the ice cream dripping on his hands, “I zoned out and I don’t know how long I was there, but I realized he had been quiet and went in to check on him.” he sniffled, “I don’t know how long he had been seizing, he could have been there the entire time and I didn’t know. He could have permanent brain damage because of me.”

“It’s not your fault,” Isaac assured as he grabbed napkins from the glovebox, “You tell me all the time things happen to pets that aren’t anybody’s fault.”

“But it is my fault.” he insisted as he took a napkin and wiped his hand, “I knew he was hit in the head, I should have been keeping a close eye on him.”

“You can’t keep an eye on him every second of every day.” he said, “You’re thinking worst case scenario and blaming yourself for it. What matters is you found him and took him-” he suddenly realized something, “How did you get to the clinic?”

Hector blinked, “Hm?”

“You don’t have a car or even a license.” Isaac pointed out, “Did you call an Uber?”

“Oh, I probably should have.” Hector said in hindsight, “But I was freaking out so bad that I just looked up the closest clinic and ran there.” 

Isaac’s eyes widened in surprise, “Hector, that clinic is three miles from the house.”

“Is it? Oh, well, I didn’t time it. I guess if someone did I would have broken the world’s fastest man record?” he laughed dryly.

“You ran three miles to a clinic while holding a dog,” Isaac said, still in awe, “That’s more than a lot of people would do for an animal.”

He pursed his lips at that, “I suppose, but-”

“Hector, you’ve gone above and beyond for something that can’t give you anything in return. It doesn’t matter if you made a mistake,” he said, kissing his cheek, “I’m sure you’re a hero to that little pup, I know you’re certainly mine.”

“Stop it, you’re going to make me cry again!” Hector whined as he covered his face, hiding his tear filled eyes. 

Isaac chuckled, “Let’s go home and shower off, alright? You reek of piss and I reek of sweat, we could both use one.

* * *

That was exactly what they did. As Isaac dried off he realized he had missed his fourth prayer, and quickly cleaned himself and got out his prayer mat while Hector tucked himself into bed.

As he prayed, he prayed the usual things. Talking with and expressing his gratitude to God, for happiness and peace for himself and those close to him, and that sort of thing. But this time, he also asked for good health for a certain little dog.

* * *

At precisely five thirty am, Isaac’s alarm went off. He did his personals, prayed, stretched, and began packing for his classes. He kissed Hector’s cheek before he left, whispering, “Going to school, love you.”

Hector mumbled, “Love you too.” before promptly drifting back to sleep. As Isaac went out the door, he sent a text to their landlord.

_ You 6:02am _

_ Good morning Ms. Jenkins, I hope all is well. _

_ I was wondering if it would be possible to have a conversation over the phone regarding our pet policy. What time would work for you? _

* * *

Hector felt disconnected from everything, like his mind was still asleep in bed and piloting his body from afar. Even the fact that his teacher was more than understanding and stated she was proud of his actions didn’t help him feel any less shitty.

He still had vet bills to pay, he still had a dog stuck at the vet with a grim prognosis, and his favorite hoodie had been ruined by dog pee.

Halfway through the day he felt too ill to continue braving it. He walked across campus to the apartments, desperately racking his brain. He’d have to dip into his savings, but that probably wouldn’t be enough. Maybe if he did one of those online campaigns? That might work, but it’d be embarrassing if his classmates found it and he wasn’t sure he could accept money from them knowing they were up to their necks in as much student loans as he was.

Suddenly his phone rang, the vet’s phone number flashing across his screen. Hurriedly he picked it up, “Hello?”

“Hello?” a calm, professional voice answered on the other end, “Am I speaking to Hector Andelos?”

“Yes, how’s Cezar?” he asked, voice wavering with worry.

“Cezar is doing just fine. He had an elevated body temperature from the prolonged fit, but we got it down to normal levels. He seems to have some vestibular syndrome and we aren’t sure if it’s permanent or not, but it’s not too severe. The vet’s cleared him to be discharged.”

“Oh thank God,” he breathed. At last some good news, “When can I pick him up?”

“Any time today, but we prefer you call ahead before coming in.” she answered, “Are there any more questions?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you so much.” he said. After they bid farewell he stopped to sit one a bench, needing to catch his breath despite not doing anything physically demanding. His heart still flutters with anxiety, eyes brimmed with tears. Things were better, but still bad all at the same time.

“Shit…” he breathes.

* * *

He goes to unlock the door only to find it already unlocked. Confused, Hector pushed it open and called, “Hello?”

“Hey.” Isaac answered from where he sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by papers that didn’t look like homework. 

“What’s all this?” he asked as he walked over and pulled out a chair, “Don’t you have class?”   
“Teacher got food poisoning.” Isaac explained as he typed numbers into his phone calculator, “I’m also figuring out the situation considering our dog.”

Hector stared at him slack jawed in surprise, “O-Our dog?” he stuttered.

“I got Ms. Jenkins to agree to a fifty dollar deposit for Cezar after explaining the situation, and I called your teacher to get the number from his rescue.” Isaac explains matter-of-factly, like it was casual stuff, “They waived his adoption fee in lieu of us paying his vet bills and taking him off their hands.”

Hector wanted to ask so many questions, but the only one that fell from his lips was “Why?”

Isaac looked up from his phone, “Because I know you.” he says, “I could see it in your eyes at the vet, you love that dog.”

“I love all animals.” Hector argued.

“Yes, but this one is different.” he said, pushing the papers aside to reach across the table and hold his hand, “We’ve always talked about getting a pet, right?”

“After college.” Hector points out.

“We’re putting all this time and money into him now, so why not now?,” he says, carnelian eyes gazing thoughtfully into his cerulean ones, “You want this dog Hector, and I’ll be happy to care for him with you.”

Hector's mind was racing, still full of ‘what ifs’ and ‘we can’ts’, “But, the money…”

“We’ll split the vet bill, four hundred each, and as long as we cut down on takeout and a few streaming subscriptions, we can add dog necessities to our grocery list.” he says, “But if you don’t want him, then we’ll drop the issue and never speak of it again.”

There’s a moment of silence where Hector just stares at his lap, throat bobbing as he struggled to find his words, “Isaac…?”

“Yes?”

“You’re the best boyfriend ever.” he half-laughed, half sobbed as he practically leapt across the table to wrap his arms around his love. 

Isaac chuckled as he returned the embrace, “You too.” he said.

* * *

As soon as the back door open, little Cezar was pulling on the leash, excitedly barking and running in place on the tile floor despite his obvious wobble.

Hector, having already been on his knees the second he heard the door knob turning, already had his hands out as the tech finally came over, allowing the little dog to finally jump into his lap, “Hello boy! Did you miss me? Did you miss me, my precious boy?”

Cezar replied by turning onto his back and wiggling happily.

“Alrighty,” the tech said as she handed over sheets of paper to Isaac (seeing as how Hector was too busy fawning over his dog), “Here’s your receipt, and his discharge instructions. Anything else?”

“No thank you.” Isaac said. As the tech left, he knelt down by Hector’s side and patted the small dogs head, “I expect nothing but endless gratitude from you, Mr.”

“‘Okay Isaac, I’ll behave’” Hector replied for the dog in a goofy voice, “‘I can’t promise no shoe casualties though.’”

“You can and you will.” Isaac said as he stood, offering his hand to Hector, “Ready?”

“Yeah,” the tech student smiled as he lifted Cezar into one arm and took it, standing up and turning to leave with his little family, “Let’s go home.”


	2. Choices

Adrian and Trevor had not met in the traditional way.

It was at the end of Adrian’s first week of college, when he still felt like he hadn’t belonged and went to a party to try and force himself to fit in and got drunk on newfound freedom and alcohol. He blacked out and woke up naked in someone else’s bed.

His heart began pounding as hard as his head as he pieced together what must have happened,  _ ‘Holy shit oh my God I had sex. Were they as drunk as me? Does that make it consensual? Wait a second my crotch is clean, does that mean nothing happened? No, I could have given them a handjob, or maybe we cleaned up before going to bed. Am I even in the same building as my dorm? Shit I’m such a stupid idiot, stupid, stupidstupidstupid-’ _

He quickly searched the messy room for his clothes, but to no avail. He did, however, find a robe to throw on. It was the afternoon, everyone would either be in class or hanging out in their dorms, hopefully it was a day where nobody wanted to go outside and he could run across campus without being seen.

He went to do the door and froze when he heard voices in the midst of a muffled conversation. Voices. More than one person.  _ Shit. _

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door. A redheaded woman sat at a small foldout table while a brunette, rugged man was cooking something in the toaster oven. Both were dressed in flannel and ripped jeans, but the man had a gold necklace with a pendant, while the woman had her flannel tied around her waist as a shirt that said ‘Debate Club Champion 2019’ on it. Before he could make a move they both looked up at him, and the three froze while making awkward eye contact.

Adrian panicked even harder. Which one had he slept with? Had he slept with both of them? Should he say anything, should he run out the door, should he-?

“Hey.” the man half-smiled, “You uh, partied pretty hard last night. How’s your head?”

“Fine.” he lied.

“That’s good.” he nodded, motioning to the woman, “This here is Sypha, she helped me drag you here last night.”

His stomach dropped.

“I’d say good to see you again, but I doubt you remember the first time we met.” she chuckled, “Sit down, Trevor’s making pizza bagels if you want.”

Adrian glanced at the exit, itching to run for it. Instead he walked over and sat on a metal foldout chair, the robe doing nothing to stop the cold metal from freezing his ass. They all sat in silence, glancing around the room. Adrian decided to swallow his pride in exchange for answers.

“What, um…” he cleared his throat, “What happened last night?”

“A few too many shots, from what I could tell.” Trevor said, “You were knocking them back one after another. But then you started to not look so good and Sypha helped me bring you here.”

“We didn’t know where your dorm was.” she said apologetically, “Shit, we don’t even know your name. I’m so sorry, what’s your name?”

“Adrian.” he says sheepishly, swallowing his pride as he asks “Where are my clothes?”

“Oh right, your clothes, yes.” Trevor snapped his fingers as if suddenly remembering, “Down the hall in the washers. You threw up on them, like ‘reeks-of-alcohol’ puke all over everything.”

Suddenly, everything made sense. It didn’t stop his stupid mouth from asking “So we didn’t have sex?”

For a split second there was a shocked silence. Then there was Sypha doubled over laughing and Trevor nervously stammering out, “O-Oh my God I’m so sorry! That’s what it looked like wasn’t it, holy shit I’m sorry! I should have said something earlier, you must have felt awful!”

Adrian hoped a meteor would fall through the ceiling and hit him in the dead he wanted to die so badly in that moment, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate-”

“No no, it’s okay!” Trevor insisted, “I’m a stranger to you, you don’t know what I’m capable of! Not that I’d ever take advantage of anyone who couldn’t consent, but you didn’t know that! I’ll go check on your clothes and-!”

“TREVOR, THE PIZZA BAGELS!” 

Both men looked to where Sypha was pointing to find the toaster oven alight.

“SHIT!”

* * *

As unconventional as their first meeting was, Adrian became fast friends with the duo and began hanging around their form rather than his lonely one for the next few months.

The more time he spent there, the more comfortable he became in joining in their banter.

“Where’s the coffee?” Trevor asked, wearing the face of a man who pulled an all nighter.

“Probably where you left your common sense.” Adrian replied without looking up from his phone.

“My common sense is perfectly intact.” he argued.

“Says the man who repeatedly says to himself ‘one more episode’ when he finds a new show on Netflix.” Sypha laughs.

“You’re both horrible, unsympathetic people.” he says, abandoning coffee in favor of soda, “And just so you guys know, the new season of ‘Nailed It’ was great.”

“I’m sure it is,” Adrian nods, “And I’ll be sure to watch it at an appropriate time of day.”

“Nobody watches Netflix at an appropriate time of day, it’s impossible.” he scoffed, “Anyways, what’s for movie night?”

“You two can decide for yourselves,” Sypha said as she grabbed her messenger bag, an old bag held together with embroidery thread and scrap fabric, “I’ve got a date night with a hot girl.”

Turns out the reason why Sypha Belnades had been laughing that particular morning was because she was lesbian, and the sudden insinuation of sleeping with a man was hilarious to her. She had a girlfriend named Julia and was majoring in Art History. 

“You’re leaving us all alone?” Trevor gasped dramatically, “Are you sure we’re old enough? What if we burn the entire dormitory down?”

“Or flood the bathroom?” Adrian added.

“You wouldn’t, because I would kill you if you did.” she said, “Have a good time.”

“You too.” they both said as she closed the door behind herself, standing in silence for a few moments.

“...So,” Trevor said.

“So.” he echoed, “Anything in particular you want to watch?”

“Twilight Zone?” he suggested, only to be shot down with a shake of the head.

“We watched about twenty episodes last week.” Adrian said as he stood, grabbing a grocery bag of chips and heading to Trevor’s room as the man himself grabbed a few more cans of soda.

Trevor Belmont’s room spoke volumes about the fact that he was an interesting man.

Adrian never lived in a world where it was okay to be undecided. For Adrian’s entire life, everything needed a plan with a backup plan, and a backup plan for the backup plan. And yet, Trevor was an individual who did rather well without plans.

He said he would probably start out making logos for companies, but was wrestling with the choice of becoming a tattoo artist, as shown by his collection of tattoo magazines.

That made sense considering he had tattoos of his own, a patterned arm band tattoo on his left arm, a bouquet of flowers on his right ankle, and in the future he wanted a realistic cat tattooed on his back. He also had a tramp stamp that said “ _ Like what you see? _ ”, a tattoo he admittedly chose poorly on the day of his eighteenth birthday. But he didn’t want it covered up because he said it made people laugh, and gave a funny story to tell.

A man like that, ragged and inked and dressed in secondhand clothes fit the exact image of what most people thought of when they thought of a macho man. Again, Trevor was the complete opposite in that regard.

He also had cookbooks, though was fairly limited in what he could cook given he only had a microwave and a (now thoroughly burnt) toaster oven. He had a collection of graphic novel adaptations of classics such as “Dracula” and “Anne of Green Gables”, because he said while he admired them he found large blocks of text hard to read. Sypha stated many times she was sure he was undiagnosed ADHD. 

There was also a collection of cat knick-knacks lining his shelves, and he had told Adrian all about his plan to get a black kitten and name it “Magick” after graduating. He even had an old pickle jar with a paper saying “Cat Fund” taped to it filled with change and crumpled dollar bills. He was majoring in Filmmaking and Graphic Design, and had a sketchbook along with several blank ones he had impulsively bought because they had pretty covers. Adrian wasn’t sure whether or not to share his own artwork with him because of the crippling anxiety surrounding sharing something so personal. He decided to wait it out, despite being sure there was nothing else about Trevor that could surprise him.

He was wrong.

As they were setting up, Adrian suddenly spotted a large collection of the hit paranormal investigation show ‘Hunting the Night’ DVDs stacked beside Trevor’s night table. He had laughed, “Do you watch those for fun or something?”

Trevor glanced between him and the collection and shrugged, “More out of obligation, since it stars my parents and everything.”

For a second time Adrian wanted to die of embarrassment.

“Wait, you mean, you’re Belmont as in ‘Belmont Paranormal Investigators’?” he asked dumbfoundedly.

“Yeah, pretty funny isn’t it?” he chuckles. It was funny, but not for the reasons Trevor thought.

Adrian’s dad loathed the Belmonts with a passion. Apparently one of the Belmont had offhandedly insulted his father’s tech company on their show, and causing stocks to drop for a short time. Vlad reacted by stating the Belmonts wouldn’t know good technology when they saw it because they were phony reality stars. Since then there was a sort of  _ strong _ mutual dislike.

It was almost like a sick, twisted form of destiny that he meets the son of the people who had unknowingly aided in his teen rebellion, as he had spent countless nights pulling up episode after episode of their show on his laptop in the privacy of his room after his father thought he went to bed. The Belmonts were actually pretty well respected in the science community for their work on the paranormal, though as always there were doubts concerning the show’s credibility. 

Adrian could care less if it was real or not. He was mad at his dad, so he happily watched it with Trevor that night.

Sometimes, Trevor would pipe in and share some facts about what went on behind the scenes, and revealed that in the beginning of the show’s run he had actually accompanied his parents on their trips around the world.

“Germany was lots of fun because we went during Oktoberfest,” he said, “The film crew let me sip the foam off the top of their beers. So when the teacher asked me what our favorite part of summer vacation was, I replied ‘the beer’!”

“You seem to have a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.” Adrian chuckled as he sipped his sugary soft drink. Soda had been forbidden growing up for fear of sugar addiction and rotting teeth. Soda tasted like rebellion.

“How did she react?”

“Well, my parents kindly explained that I hadn’t actually drank any beer, but she was still suspicious of me the whole year, like an eleven year old could be a functioning alcoholic or something.” Trevor laughed as he opened a bag of chips, “Want some?”

“No thank you,” he said, snapping the tab off his soda can, “I can’t believe a teacher would hold a grudge against a kid like that.”

“Seriously?” he said in disbelief, “You've never had one teacher that just had it out for you?”

Adrian shook his head. If a teacher had done that, his father would have sued them and made sure they could never teach again. 

“Damn, you’re lucky.” Trevor sighed as he ate a handful of chips, “I’ve got a ton of stories like that, like Mr. Bishop, my eighth grade English teacher, who failed my midterm because I didn’t write the date, despite Sypha not writing it either. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he wrote me a referral to the counselor because I said my favorite book was ‘The Outsiders’, and he was worried about me ‘idealizing gang activity and violence’.”

“What a load of bullshit.” he scoffed, “So what did your parents do?”

“Nothing.” Trevor said, “I never told them.”

Adrian’s eyes widened, “Why not?”

“Well, they were always travelling and doing work, and I just didn’t want to be a complainer.” he shrugged, “I basically did the bare minimum to pass and that was it. Now I never have to see his dumb face again.”

“Oh…” he said, staring at his empty can, “... I would have stuck up for you if I were there.”

Trevor’s expression brightened a little at that, “Really?”

“Of course,” he smiles, beit a small one, “Although, I’m not sure anything I did could defend that smart mouth of yours.”

“Humor is my defense mechanism,” he says, “But I guess it is like they say ‘Some defense. If I was the killer, I would kill you next!’.”

Adrian stares at him blankly, “Who says that?”

“Nobody, it’s from the movie Clue-” he gasps, “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen Clue?”

“I can’t say I’ve heard of it.” he shrugs.

Trevor looks almost offended by that, and goes rifling through his DVD collection, “How could you not have seen the funniest movie of all time? Could have sworn I put it- oh, here it is!” he announced, holding up the case victoriously, “We’ll watch this next.” and with that, he popped it in the disc player and sat back on the couch, putting an arm arm around Adrian.

Suddenly, the blond felt his heart rate go through the roof, and it probably (most likely) wasn't because of his sugar consumption.

“I have to go!” he said urgently, grabbing his bag, “Just remembered I have to go print something out at the library before they close.”

Trevor frowned, looking almost like a kicked puppy (or kitten in his case), “Oh…” he said dejectedly as he ejected the disc, snapping it back into the case, “Well, here. You can finish watching this back at your place.”

Adrian took the case, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it a thousand times,” he said, clearly forcing a smile, “Besides, I should probably be working on this project I’ve been putting off.”

“Right, well, see you later.” he said as he opened the door.

“Text me when you finish the movie, I want to know what you think.” Trevor called out after him.

Adrian simply replied “Sure.” and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Adrian sat on his bed, staring at the DVD case for what must have been an hour. His fingers traced the summary on the back of the disc and every actor's name at least several times.

He didn’t have a DVD player.

Sighing dramatically, he flopped back onto his pillows as his thoughts swirled around him, swallowing him up like an ocean in a rough storm that left him feeling sick to his stomach.

His feelings were like a puzzle that couldn’t be put together, an enigma that couldn’t be deciphered.

He liked Trevor. That wasn’t to say he didn’t like Sypha, no, she was really cool. But he liked Trevor in a way that felt… different.

Like whenever he got a few minutes alone with him, his heart started pounding. When Sypha and Trevor brought him to a feminist club meeting, he sat next to Trevor. One time, Trevor had lent him a hoodie when it had begun to rain on their way out of class. Adrian wore that hoodie whenever he got the chance to.

He knew it was love, but didn’t know if he could do love right because he had never been big on relationships, seeing as how he put education ahead of everything else. He hadn’t even had a first kiss yet, and hadn’t been bothered by it until now. Everyone was always talking about their stupid ex or how their partner sent them a cute meme or how badly they wanted to ask out someone ‘out of their league’.

And suddenly, Adrian felt left behind.

It felt like he was caught in orbit around Trevor, wanting to be closer but not knowing how to do it.

Was Trevor just being polite whenever he invited Adrian over to hang out? Was it a normal thing for him to put his arm around people when they watched TV? Did he give Adrian a batch of cookies because he made too much and needed to be rid of them?

He prayed that he was special, while also fearing the possibility. Because what if Trevor didn’t like him back? What if he spilled his guts, and Trevor became disgusted or weirded out and things became awkward? He wasn’t sure if their relationship could recover from a rejection like that, and since hanging out with Sypha meant being around Trevor more often than not, it meant he’d lose both friends in one swift punch. She would probably be more understanding, but they would drift apart nonetheless.

Just when he thought his night couldn’t get any shittier his phone buzzed, a notification appearing on his home page.

_ You have (1) message from Dad _

“Fuck…” he muttered. As much as he dreaded reading the message, some sick part of him was eager to open it, just to see how much worse his situation could get. 

He tapped the message.

_ Dad 8:28pm _

_ Son, you need to stop doing this. What would your mother think if she saw you like this, acting out like a toddler? The trust fund will run out eventually, and you won’t have a choice but to come back. You are only destroying your own future in the long run. Come home and we will work out the details then, the sooner the better. I only want what’s best for you. _

He threw his phone across the room and pulled the covers over his head.

* * *

Adrian definitely wasn’t avoiding Trevor. There were things to be done, such as choosing a major and figuring out where else he could get money from, things that took his attention away from Trevor.

He turned off his phone’s notifications, threw himself into introspection and stared at various brochures for each program whenever he wasn’t in class. He made accounts for various job sites, though with only a high school diploma he was limited to fast food work and custodial jobs, neither salary being high enough to pay for a higher education. At this rate, his only hope was a scholarship.

So for the second week in a row, he was googling local scholarships and praying like usual when class dismissed, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice across the hall, “Okay, see you later!”

Adrian looked up in horror to see Sypha waving goodbye to a group of friends, turning to his direction. He hopes she won’t recognize him in the crowd.

No such luck.

Their eyes meet, and it's like a lion making eye contact with an antelope. 

Adrian tries to run, but Sypha is much more skilled than he is at weaving through the crowded campus. He futility bolts into an empty dead end hall, and just like in a bad horror movie, turns to see he is cornered by his pursuer. 

Sypha, radiating with so much fury that it would make cobras shrink away in fear, stomps up to him, thrusting a finger into his chest as she demands to know, “Why you’ve been avoiding us?”

“I’m not avoiding you!” he replied, cringing at how obvious it was that he was lying. Sypha cocked a brow, the action compelling him to speak (nobody should have that much power in a single gesture).

“Well, I mean, it seems like I am, but it’s just that I’ve been really busy with personal stuff and all that pleasantries, and I meant to tell you I was buddy but you know how it is once you keep getting sidetracked and all, um…” his voice trailed off, growing more uncertain the more he rambled, “So, no hard feelings?”

“... something’s wrong.” she says, a statement rather than a question.

“Nothing’s wrong.” he says. Everything’s wrong.

“Adrian…” she sighs, crossing her arms, “Listen, I don’t want to be pushy, but I’m your friend. You can tell me anything, you know?”

Adrian wanted to tell her to mind her own business. Instead he broke down in tears, sobs pouring from his mouth as if all the emotions that had been bottled up were shaken and opened like a cola can.

“Oh dear,” Sypha said to herself as she rummaged through her bag for tissues, “Come on, take deep breaths and tell me everything.”

And so he did just that, or at least, part of that. As they sat down in an empty corridor, he told her everything about his stupid dad and his stupid trust funds and his stupid lack of a life plan.

“I’m such an idiot,” he sniffled as he blew his nose, “Coming here on a stupid whim.”

“You are not an idiot,” Sypha comforted as she rubbed his back, “You got yourself out of a bad situation with your dad, you should be proud of yourself for that. It’s better for the money to be used exploring what you might want to do rather than doing something you don’t want to do.”

“Yeah, until it runs out.” he sighed, putting his head in his hands, “Unless you can make money magically appear, I’m royally fucked.”

Sypha hummed in thought, “Did you talk with financial aid?”

Adrian looked up, “Who?” he blinked.

“The financial aid counselors.” she said, continuing after he continued giving her a blank expression, “The people who give you money each semester and then you pay it back after you graduate.”

“Oh…” he says, worrying his bottom lip, “I don’t know… I don’t want to take it from someone who needs it more than me.”

“That’s not-, loans don’t work like that Adrian.” she half-laughed half sighed, “Set up an appointment. I mean, being in debt sucks, but at least you’ll make it through school.”

“I suppose…” he smiled, hugging her tightly, “You’re the best Sypha.”

“Thanks, I know.” she replied gleefully.

* * *

Adrian’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at his phone screen, fingers itching to type but unsure of which words to use.

‘Good evening Sypha, all went well with financial aid. By the way I have a crush on your best friend and want advice on the matter because you’re the only person I trust/know who’s not Trevor’

He took a deep breath as he typed out,

_ You 11:27am _

_ Hey. Are you busy? _

An agonizing minute passed before he got a response.

_ Lesbian Scholar 11:28am _

_ what up _

_ You 11:28am _

_ Just letting you know everything went well with financial aid.  _

_ Lesbian Scholar 11:30am _

_ Awesome dude!! Super proud of you, we’re def celebrating with pizza later!! _

_ You 11:31am _

_ Thank you.  _

_ By the way, I need advice. _

_ For romantic reasons this time. _

_ Lesbian Scholar 11:31am _

_ Ooooooooo!! Who’s the lucky guy/gal/person? _

_ Btw gonna start charging for advice by the minute lol _

_ You 11:31am _

_ Trevor. _

His phone rang not a second later. He felt nauseous as he pressed the green button, “Hello?”

“Holy shit, give me every detail right now!” came Sypha’s ecstatic voice from the other end.

“Trevor’s not there, right?” he asked, looking around his room as if Trevor would appear like a boogeyman.

“He’s in a lecture right now.” she replied, “Wait so like, are you coming out to me right now?”

“I… guess?” he said after a moment of consideration, “I mean, I haven’t really thought about the sexuality part-, alright wait, can we get back to my questions before I answer yours?”

“Oh, of course, of course! Sorry!”

“Okay,” he sighed, “So I want to ask Trevor out, right?”

“Right.” she repeated.

“But... I also don’t want to ruin our friendship.” he muttered, “So, do I risk it or not?”

The other end went silent for a moment.

“... Sypha?”

“I’m here,” she answered, “Alright, I’m gonna tell you this story, and I need you to listen okay?”

“I’m all ears.” he said, unsure of what to expect.

“So, we’re in 9th grade, right? And Trevor starts acting differently. I mean, I knew about how the other kids made fun of him cause of the paranormal stuff, and that the teachers hated him for some reason, but this year it really got to him.”

“What happened?” Adrian asked, more invested than he thought he would be.

“He started acting really pissy all the time. I would say something like ‘Beautiful day today’ and he’d say ‘For the honor roll student, maybe’. And I shrugged it off at first, but he kept getting meaner and would snap over the simplest things, so I stopped hanging out with him.

“Well, at the end of the year he came to me and asked why I was avoiding him, and I told him ‘you’re constantly negative and mean to me. It’s okay if you’re mad at the world, but you don’t get to take it out on me’... although I said it with some other choice words. And you know what happened?”

“What?”

“He apologized and promised he’d work on his issues. And he did. Point is, Trevor’s not one to take friendship lightly. He’s willing to put in whatever work is needed into it, even when there’s bumps in the road.” she concluded, “Get it?”

“Yeah, I get it.” he said, embarrassed by the big dumb smile on his face despite the fact no one was around to see it, “So, I should ask him out?”

“Well, that’s up to you.” she chuckled, “But I hope it helped you out.”

“It did,” he nodded, “Thank you Sypha.”

“You’re welcome.” she beamed, “Seriously though, next time I am gonna start charging by the minute.”

* * *

_ ‘That’s up to you.’ _ became a sort of mantra.

Making choices seemed strange, like learning to speak a new language. The outcome couldn’t always be predicted, backup plans were obsolete in the grand scale of most things, and there was always the risk of making the wrong one.

It was foreign, yet freeing, like the cans of soda he got from the vending machines.

As he sipped the orange-vanilla soda he had chosen (and trying to decide if he liked it), he got out his phone and typed

_ You 2:12pm _

_ Hey, would you like to go on a date? _

His heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn’t as scary as it used to be when it happened. Whatever happened would happen, and he’d be fine-

_ Trevor 2:14pm _

_ I’d love to. Do you have a place in mind? _

A resounding “YES!” echoed through the whole food court, making every head turn. 

And he made the choice to quickly duck out the place.

**Author's Note:**

> there is no excuse for this, it's completely self-indulgent


End file.
